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ACC orders SLFA indictees to step aside

September 13, 2018

By Sahr Morris Jnr

Deputy Director of Outreach, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in Sierra Leone, Patrick Sandi, has confirmed they have officially written to authorities concerned that both the indicted SLFA president, Isha Johansen and Christopher Kamara should step aside from their respective functions.

According to Sandi, the authorities concerned; the Ministry of Sports and the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) were informed about the Commission’s Act No. 12 of 2008.

The said Act makes comprehensive provision for the process that must be adopted once a public figure has been indicted or charged.

According to the Anti-Corruption statutes “Any public officer charged with a corruption offence must be suspended from the date of the charge until he is either acquitted or the proceedings against him are discontinued.”

This latest step by the ACC came few days after the Sierra Leone delegation headed by the Sports Minster returned home from Ethiopia where the national team, Leone Stars, suffered a 1-0 defeat in their Group F 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Sandi was quick to dismiss talks that they have suspended both Johansen and Kamara stating that: “We cannot suspend them as it is not our role but what we have done we’ve just written a letter to the authorities concern informing them that they should step aside in line with the ACC Act.”

It could be recalled that in September 2017, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) ordered both Johansen, and Kamara, to step aside following their indictment of abuse of office and public funds just few days after they announced their indictment on the 21 September the same year.

However, the newly appointed Sports Minister, Ibrahim NyeleNkeh reinstated the two and has been working until this latest correspondence from the ACC.